A follow-up to this thread in GQ. I hope this is IMHO material rather than GD, I guess we’ll see. A little background, then my question for you.
In Kansas City, MO, Frances Semler is a member of the Board of Parks and Recreations. She is also a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. This has stirred quite a controversy. In the face of threats by the National Council of La Raza and the NAACP to withdraw national conventions from Kansas City, cries for her to resign or be removed from the post have increased.
Some see the MCDC as a racist vigilante organization. Others see it as a benign group of concerned citizens performing a function analogous to Neighborhood Watch campaigns. The MCDC’s official procedures are outlined here.
Note that there are any number of groups with the word Minuteman or Minutemen in their names which are NOT affiliated with MCDC. Some of them (or their members) have done some pretty nasty things. So far, however, I have not found on Google any actual instances of vigilantism, lawbreaking, or obvious hatred attributed to MCDC or its members. The thread in GQ hasn’t brought any to light, either. Nevertheless, it’s easy to see why there’s at least a perception of the MCDC as undesirable and/or dangerous in some minds.
So, in your opinion, does her membership in this organization coupled with her position in city government constitute a valid reason for her to lose said position?
I live in KC also, and IMO her membership has zip to do with her ability to serve on the Parks and Rec board.
I do feel for Funkhouser, although his lack of political experience probably helped make this brouhaha. I’m guessing a more seasoned politician would have looked at things like memberships.
You’re right. I had confused them with Mecha. However, an organization called the National Council for the Race strikes as something less than perfectly innocuous.
I will point out that “la raza” can be translated/interpreted in different ways. “The people” is one of them. Using the word “race,” with the connotations it has acquired in the U.S., may not be the fairest choice.
But that’s a tangential matter. I’m more interested in viewpoints on the MCDC, and the perception of membership in it vis a vis holding an office that could be considered a representation of the city. Concern with, and dismay over, Semler’s appointment did not begin with and is not limited to La Raza.